Mrs Clinton also told CBS that she believes it was right that her husband, who was 49 at the time, did not resign from office, and that Ms Lewinsky "was an adult".

The frank remarks on the scandal are being interpreted in the context of the year-old #MeToo movement that caused numerous high-profile men to resign after accusations of sexual assault and harassment.

Former President Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury and later acquitted by Congress in 1998 after lying about his relationship with Ms Lewinsky.

"She was a 22-year-old intern and he was the President of the United States. It's honestly hard to think of a dynamic that is *more* clearly an egregious abuse of power," wrote lawyer Lindsey Barrett on Twitter.

American columnist Kristen Powers tweeted, "This actually shouldn't be so hard. Hillary isn't responsible for what her husband did, but she should be able to recognise it as an abuse of power."

"Why is it abuse of power if the intern is a willing participant? I can think of many more obvious examples of abuse of power," wrote one Twitter user, while another added "A 22-year-old is perfectly capable of making their own decisions."

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Monica Lewinsky wrote in March that the affair was a "a gross abuse of power"

The debate highlights a key fault line in the #MeToo movement about whether young women in consensual relationships with powerful men are being "victimised" and "infantilised" by describing their relations as abusive.

Others questioned why Mrs Clinton is being held accountable for her husband's behaviour, suggesting it was sexist.